The present invention relates to the art of gas separation. It finds particular application in the separation of oxygen from atmospheric air for welding or other downstream equipment at relatively high pressures. It is to be appreciated that the invention is applicable to selective adsorption separation, membrane separation, hydrolysis, peroxide reduction, and other techniques for separating a selected gaseous component from gaseous mixtures, fluids, chemical compositions, or the like.
Heretofore, oxygen has commonly been supplied to automotive garages and other industrial applications in pressurized cylinders, commonly pressurized on the order of 2200 psi. To overcome the inconvenience and expense associated with the delivery of bottled oxygen and the maintenance of an oxygen cylinder inventory, oxygen separators which separate oxygen from atmospheric air have been used to supply oxygen for welding and other industrial equipment.
These oxygen separators commonly included a compressor for supplying atmospheric air at a superatmospheric pressure. A crossover valve alternately channeled the atmospheric air to one of a pair of beds filled with a physical separation medium. As one of the beds passed the oxygen component and retained nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other components of atmospheric air, a fraction of the separated oxygen was fed back to the other bed flushing the retained components. The pressurized atmospheric air was alternately supplied to each bed as the other was flushed and rejuvenated to maintain a continuing supply of oxygen or oxygen-rich gas. One of the primary costs associated with oxygen separators was the cost of the physical separation medium.
Not only did the physical separation medium beds render the cost of oxygen separators relatively expensive, but the oxygen was supplied at a relatively low pressure, e.g. below 60 psi. These low oxygen pressures tended to create a lazy welding flame with little momentum. Such low momentum flames were only adequate for cutting and welding lighter gauges of steel and were inadequate for heavier steel plates and castings.
Another drawback to oxygen separators is that they separated oxygen from atmospheric air relatively slowly. To increase the oxygen production rate, more of the expensive physical separation medium was required. Alternately, a reservoir maintained a supply of the separated oxygen rich gas. The oxygen reservoir accomodated peak demand periods without increasing the size of the physical separation medium beds.
In accordance with the present invention, a new and improved gas separation system with a high pressure separated gas reservoir is provided which overcomes the above referenced problems and others.